Art of Travis Louie

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

I'm exciting about these new artworks featuring characters with their unusual pets and their unusual circumstances. I"ll have a few of my new Uncle Six Eyes busts there as well.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, come down and take a gander.

gallery is located at

170 S La Brea Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Some details below

Wilbur and His Hypnotic Gaze

(Detail)

14 x 11” Acrylic on board

Caldwell had a bulldog named
Wilbur who possessed a hypnotic gaze that increased perception as well as
causing slight bouts of madness. When Caldwell spent too much of his time
staring at his dog, he went into a trance-like state, where he was able to see
more than one dimension. He could see the spirits of the recently departed as
well as visions of a possible future. He
never made the connection that it was only through his dog’s gaze that he
managed to see his visions. Convinced that it was his one eye that allowed for
the “sight”, he took out an ad in the newspaper. He became an advocate for
monocular vision and attracted a cult-like following.

Herman
and Morris

20x15 acrylic on board

Herman found his prized huntsman
spider in the basement of his parents’ house. It followed him where ever he
went for most of his adult life. He named it Morris because it reminded him of
his Uncle Morris, who had long spindly legs and a strange gait that often
confused people as to which direction he was about to step in.

Although it was common to have
large insects as pets in this town, it was frowned upon to have an arachnid as
a pet. When they would go for a stroll
or take in a show at the theatre, Morris would hide in Herman's stovepipe hat
and watch through tiny holes near the top of the hat band. Herman could even
hear him clapping at the close of the each performance. It made him laugh out
loud every time.

Herman
and Morris(Detail 1)

Herman
and Morris(Detail 2)

Oscar
and the Truth Toad(Ted)

20x16 acrylic on board

In 1895, a large toad
broke into Oscar's house. This was not an uncommon occurrence for Devonshire in
the summer of 1895. Fore there had been a plague of toads that season, thought
to be brought on by a curse. There was always some curse or misplaced talisman
causing mayhem in that town. This incident, however, was very unusual in that
the toad was enormous. It was the size of pig and seemed to speak a kind of
gibberish that sounded like a child trying to mimic a foreign language. It held
Oscar hostage in his kitchen for several hours while it appeared to be trying
to tell him something. As Oscar attempted to make his escape, the toad would
“speak” louder and raise its slimy hands in fist-like gestures and a curious
motion resembling throat slashing. As the sun started to come up, the toad
threw its hands up as if in disgust and made itself a home in the study of the
house. Oscar was both terrified and mesmerized by the experience and decided to
keep the toad, . . .or more or less let it go about its business as he had no
control over what it had in mind. He started to call it Ted because it seemed
to utter that name at the end of every “sentence”.

As months passed, Oscar
started to decipher the strange language that his toad was speaking. He also
discovered that Ted had a very special talent. His presence compelled people to
speak the truth. Oscar, who was not very trusting of people, began to carry Ted
around on his head so that no one would be able to lie to him. From a distance
it appeared that Oscar was wearing a large turban and passersby would be
startled when the toad would suddenly snatch a bird in flight with its tongue.
At first, Oscar was empowered by his new found ability to keep people honest
and learn their secrets. It wasn’t long before Oscar became very lonely as his
toad made everyone uncomfortable. Remorseful and tired of carrying around such
a heavy load on his head, he convinced the toad to go back from whence it came,
or so he thought. Ted was actually quite frustrated with Oscar and wanted to
leave anyway. Ted was never heard from again and Oscar had to undergo a year of
speech therapy to undo the strange gibberish that he acquired.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

During the busy season, he likes to crash corporate holiday parties; consume all food and drink and snatch his victims away in a large sack that he drags through the bumpiest streets he can find. Once back at his lair, he dangles them over an open fire while thumping them with a rolled up newspaper or phone book, shouting "Bad, Bad!!"